Traffic-control crossing warning



- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J C DARST TRAFFIC CONTROL, CROSSING WARNING Filed Feb. eI '1924 N N WMD ATTORNEY Aug. 4, 1925.

J. C. DARST TRAFFIC CONTROL CROSSING WARNING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 8, 1924 wmmw.

ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 4, 1925.

UNITED STATES rATENT orrics.

JAMES CHANDLER DARS'T, OF PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, .ASSIGTOR OF ONE-THIRD TO ROBERT B. PRESTON, OF PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA.

TRAFFIC-CONTROL CROSSING `WARNING.

Application Vfiled February 8, 1924.

To all whom it may] concewt:

Be itI known that I, JAMES C. DARs'r, a citizen of the United States, vresiding at Portsmouth, in the county yof Norfolk and State of Tirg-inia,.have invented certain-new and useful Improvements in rlratlic-Control Crossing VVarni'ngs, of which the following is a specification.

The invention resides in the. provision of a new 'and improved trafc crossing warning, so constructed and positioned at. railroad crossings, tangent or curved, as to warn approaching motorists of thedanger thereofand to so control the traiiic thereover as to render accidentsvery improbable.

It is the object of the invention to provide a control warning of the character stated wherein is embodied a means for first warning the approaching motorists of the position and danger of the railroad crossing, and other means for so controlling the traliic over the roadway and across the railroad crossing to restrict trailic to a re-- spective side of the road, thus preventing one motorist from cutting around the machine o'f another motorist thereby blocking trafiic from the opposite direct-ion and causing accident in this manner. Means is also provided for deterrin'g crossing of the rail* road at high speeds.

Vith fthe above and other objects in view the invention further resides in those novel details of construction, combination 'and arrangement of parts, all of which will be vfirst fully described, then be particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a somewhat diagrammatic plan view of the invention. y Figure 2 is a longitudinal section thereof taken on the line 2--2 on Figure l.

Figure 3 is a somewhat enlarged cross section of "the road-bed illustrating one of the entrance 4Vends of the invention.

Y Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of one end of the invention.

In the drawings, in Vwhich like Vnumerals of referenceV indicate like parts in all of the figures, yl indicates the roadway Aand 2 the rails of the crossing railroad, `the ties thereof 'being indicated at 3.

At suitable positions at a substantial distance from the railroad cros'ing, andat 'op- Serial No. 691,536.

posite sides thereof, are positioned corner posts 4 and 5, aset being positioned at oppositek sides of the roadway at each side o-f the. railroad, as is clearly illustrated in Figure 1 ofthe drawings. These posts may be constructed of an-'y'suitable material such as wood, iron, steel, concrete vor the like. Between each set of corner posts 4*-5 is positioned center post 6 and 'these center posts are joined by a raised curbing 7 leX- tendin'g centerally longitudinally *of the road-bed therebetween and being provided. with suitable cut` out yportions 8 to permit passage of a train over the rails 2. By reason of thus projecting and positioning the curbing 7, theroadwaybetween'the posts 6 is divided into a right hand traffic side and a left hand traiiic side, one divided from the other by the. said curbing and serving to prevent the machines from passing one around the other and thus causing them to pass alo'ngslowly in a single line of tratlic.

Obviously the right hand side of the road, according to the direction of travel, will 1be the entrance ateither end of thecontrol warning, and that side off each ofthe 'posts 6 is extended, as is also the cooperating-one of the Vposts 4, inthe manner indicated in Figure 3 ofthe drawing; ithese inwardlyextended foot portions cooperating with the barricade saddle 9 positioned intermediate of the posts Il and 6 and in position for deterring the speeding of a motorist into and vthrough the entrance, by the reason of the fact. that relatively small passages l0 are left between the said saddle and the extensions vof 'the posts.

It will be observed that the extended part of eachpo'st 6 serves as a supporting means for a supple-mental post ll, upon which and 'up-on the face 4of the cooperating post 4 is mounted a. reHecto-type lamp l2 having a green "lens to designate to the approaching motorist the Aentrance passage which he is to use.

It will be observed that the exit from "the control warning, provided for traffic coming inthe vopposite direction, ig clear of obstruction by the posts '6 and the respective post 5 cooperating Vtherewith in providing the exit, see the left. side of Figure 3, and is provided lwith reflecting lamps 13 having red "reflecting lamps to distinguish this exit from the entrance and to contrast the re- IDS Vil

i'lection, of the green lights to Warn the motorist Vthat he is not lto enter thatl side of the road.

rIhe approach side of the posts 5 and 6 bounding each exit may be provided With lamps 13a of the reiiecto-type having green lens to signal to Vthe approaching motorist that the exit is clear.

It should be understood that While I have described the use of lamps of the reiiectotype, that is, such as inclut e reflecting plates of the desired color and capable of reflecting any rays of light cast upon the same, such as those o'f'fthe sun or the headlights of an oncoming motorvehicle, any accepted type or signal lamps may be used. `ldetlectotype lamps are commonly used on our roadways today and, as they, per se, are no, part of the present invention, further description is thought unnecessary. 1

As `an additional signalling means lfor guiding the motorist and preventing Yhim .trom entering that side of the road closed to trai'iic, or in other Words, the side which acts as an'exit l'or the traiiic coming in the opposite direction, I provide an arcliway system 14 Which may be constructed of tubing of suitable material and supported and projected vertically from the posts 4, 5 and 6. This piping serves to provide separate entrance and exitiarches, the one on the right or the roadway being indicated as an entrance archivay by the sign 15 suspendedV therefrom, and the one yat the lett of the road- Way being provided With a sign 1G marked Closed7 to clearly indicate to the motorist that he is not to enterthe archWay, the sign supplementing the effect of the red lights. These archway systems may be painted in some bright color to attract the motorists attention. f Y

I provide-a suitable passage over the railroad crossing in the nature of a road-bed composed ot a plurality oi planking 17 extended crosswise oi the roadway between the rails and being supported upon the supports 18 which may be carried by theV ties. Y

From the foregoing description, it Willl and across the railroad crossing in safety,

the longitudinalA curbing preventing any motorists in the `line of traiiic from cutting around motorists infront of him and there- `by tendingto obstruct traiiic'coining Vin the opposite directionwith the attendant probability of accident. Y Y

Vilhile my invention has been especially connection with the drawings, it is thought vthat the novel details of construction, advantages and manner of use ot my invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which it relates. e What I claim is:

1. In a traino control crossing Warning," the combination with the road-bed and the pon tion oi' the railroad crossing the saine, of a central curbing adapted to divide the road# bed into separate traffic lanes for oppositely movingtraiiic and extending a distance from the railroad at' either side, and bai-ricade saddles cooperative With the divided lanes :tor reducing the speed of motorists through the entrance thereof.

2. In a traiiic controlcrossing Warning, the combination with a road-bed and the portion of the railroad .crossing the-same,

.of a central curbing adapted to 'divide `the road-bed into separate traiiic lanes for op positely moving traffic and extending a dis-` tance :troni the railroad at their side, each said lane having an entrance and an exit, poles marking the entrances and exits, and foot extensions on the poles and barricade saddles ior restricting each entrance to deter speeding of a vehicle therethrough.

3. In a traiiic control crossing Warning, the combination with the road-bed and the portion of the railroad crossing the same,

lof a central curbing adapted to divide the road-bed into separate ti'a'lic lanes for op positelymoving tratlic and extending a distance trom the railroad at either side, cach said lane having` anrentrance and anexit, poles marking the entrance and exits, and barricade saddles cooperating With the entrance marking poles in restricting the said entrances to deter speeding of vehicles therethrough. i

4. In a trafic control crossing Warning, the combination With the road-bed and the portion of the railroad crossing the saine, of.

' a central curbing adapted to divide the roadbed into separate'trafiic lanes for oppositely `moving trattic andextending a distance from the railroad at either side, each side lane Vhaving an entrance and an exit, poles marking the entrance and exits, barricade saddles cooperating with the entrance marking poles in restricting the said entrances to deter speeding of vehicles therethrough, archways Vdeiining the entrances and the axis, indicia carried by the arches, the poles and the barricadesaddles for Warning and instructing the drivers of approaching vehicles, and

signal devices on the poles for Warning and a ica directing the drivers of approaching vehicles.

5. In a tratiic crossing Warning, the combination with the road-bed and the portion of the railroad crossing the same, of a oentral curbing adapted to divide the road-bed into separate tratiic lanes for oppositely moving traiiic and extending a distance from the railroad at either side, each sidelane having an entrance and an exit, poles marking the entrances and exits, barricade saddles cooperating with the entrance marking poles in restricting the said entrances to deter speeding of vehicles therethrough, archways supported by the poles and deiining the entrances and the exits, indicia carried by the arches, the poles and the barricade saddles for warning and instructing the drivers of approaching vehicles, and signal devices on the poles for warning and directing the drivers of approaching vehicles.

6. In a traiiic control crossing warning, the combination with a road-bed and the portion of the railroad crossing the same, of a central straight line curbing dividing the road-bed into two straight and separate traiiic lanes for opposing moving traiiic and extending a distance from the railroad at either side, barriers at the entrance end of the traiiie lanes for restricting the wheel passage of the motor vehicles to reduce the speed of motorists therethrough.

7. In a traiic control crossing warning, the combination with the road-bed and the portion of the railroad crossing the saine,

of a central straight line curbing adapted to divide the road-bed into separate parallel straight traiiic lanes for opposing moving traihc and extending a distance from the railroad at either side, and means cooperative with the lanes for restricting the wheel passage-way of motor vehicles at the entrance to the tratiic lanes, substantially as shown and described.

8. In a traiiic control crossing warning, the combination with the cross-road, of a straight line central curbing adapted to divide one road-bed into separate parallel straight traiiic lanes for opposing moving tratiic and extending a distance from the other 'road-bed at either side, barriers on kthe road-beds in the divided lanes, said barriers being spaced apart to present narrow wheel-passages between the same whereby the speed of the motorists approaching the same must be reduced for the purposes specified.

9. In a tralic control warning, the combination with a road-bed, of a central line curbing dividing the road-bed into two separate traiiic lanes for opposing moving tratic, barriers at the entrance end of the traiiic lanes for restricting the wheel passage of the motorvehicles to reduce the speed of motorists therethrough.

IO. In a traflic control warning, the combination with a road-bed, of a central line curbing dividing the road-bed into two parallel separate trafic lanes for opposing moving trar'hc, and means cooperative with the lanes for restricting the wheel passageway of motor vehicles at the entrance to the traffic lanes, substantially as shown and described.

ll. In a trafiic control warning, the combination with a road-bed, of a central line curbing dividing the road-bed into two parallel separate traiiic lanes for opposing moving traiiic, means cooperative with the lanes for restricting the wheel passageway of motor vehicles at the entrance to the traffic lanes, said last named means comprising barriers on the road-bed in the divided lanes, said barriers being spaced apart to present narrow wheel passages between the same whereby the speed of the motorists approaching the saine must be reduced substantially as specified.

l2. In a traiic control warning, the combination with a road-bed, of a central curbing adapted to divide the road-bed into separate traiiic lanes for oppositely nioving traffic, each side lane having an entrance and an exit, poles marking the entrances and exits, barricade saddles cooperating with the entrance marking' poles in restricting the said entrances to deter speeding of vehicles therethrough, archways deiining the entrances and the exits, indicia carried by the arches, the poles and barricade saddles for warning and instructing the drivers of approaching vehicles, and signal devices on the poles for warning and directing the drivers of approaching vehicles.

JAMES CHANDLER DARST. 

